During an emergency, everyone has actions and responsibilities to perform. It may be minor, like paying attention and following directions, or you may be responsible for handling the emergency yourself. It’s important to understand your plan for your jobsite, to minimize confusion and speed the response. Acting efficiently during a crisis can mean the difference in the outcome, especially if someone is injured. Studies have shown that just talking about what you would do helps people mentally prepare for an emergency.Discuss the types of emergencies that you might encounter on the job. Do you have trenches that could cave in, could you have a brushfire or flash flood? If you might have to call 911, how would they get in, does everyone know the address for the entrance of your job?

Workers:

Report any hazardous conditions that you discover to a supervisor

Fire, chemical spill, report of natural disaster

Know what your site evacuation or emergency alarm sounds like:

Horn, siren, alarm and/or verbal commands to evacuate

Don’t panic if you hear the alarm, stay calm

Help notify others and ensure everyone gets out of confined spaces

Provide assistance to others if you can do it safely

Shut down equipment if you can do it safely

Grab what you need to take with you in case you evacuate (car keys)

Leave the area in a controlled manner, walk, don’t run

Follow escape route to assembly area (write in your location)

Location of assembly area: __________________________________

Wait in the assembly area, check in with foreman or superintendent

Do not leave assembly area until instructed by a supervisor

Supervisors:

Help control the situation and reduce hazard if possible

Call for EMS if needed, discuss address with crew

Job entrance address _____________________________________

Identify assembly area for the workers ahead of time, usually near parking area

Perform a head count to ensure all workers have exited the site

Give instructions to workers

Wait for all clear, or immediate evacuation, or return to work

Report incident to management (operations and safety) right away

Implement the crisis management plan, identify flaggers to control vehicles and limit access to essential personnel only

If an emergency does happen on your job, it is important to review what happened, as a group. We discuss what everyone did well, and what areas we need improvement in. This debrief helps us understand any weakness in our plan and allows us to improve. It’s better to have a plan and not need it, rather than have an emergency and not have a plan. You should also consider creating a plan for your family, how to evacuate, or where to go if you are separated by a natural disaster.